Beware the Quiet Ones
by Lucyrne
Summary: An unwelcome surprise on Tsubaki's birthday triggers a chain of events that lands the shadow weapon in anger management counseling. Tsubaki-centric, endgame TsuLiz. Rated for language and nonexplicit sex mentions.


"Tell me what you see."

Marie Mjolnir flips her book towards Tsubaki, revealing a Rorschach test. Though she is already a bit tired of the exercise, Tsubaki gives the blotted black shapes a cursory glance.

"A cat clawing a man's face off," she decides. Wearing a small, but genuine smile, Tsubaki adds, "I don't know what the point of this is, Marie. I'm simply not an angry or violent person."

Her teacher hums to herself as she writes down a couple notes. "The four-car traffic collision you caused begs to differ."

Tsubaki fiddles with the long ponytail cascading down the left side of her neck. She quietly resents that a tiny accident like four crashed cars keeps being thrown in her face like this. After all, she was provoked! It wasn't her fault! Well, not _entirely_ her fault. Why didn't anyone understand? Why didn't anyone _listen?_

"Tsubaki, what do you see now?"

She looks up at the Rorschach test for only a fraction of a second. "A headless chicken chasing a chef while waving a meat cleaver. How long is our session again?"

"An hour." Marie closes her notepad and pushes it and the Rorschach book off to the side of her desk. She lets silence rest between them for a few moments before pressing ahead with their session. "Tsubaki, please understand. We need to get to the bottom of your outburst the other day before you can be taken off probation and start taking missions again. You're very lucky no one was hurt, or else you would have to do more than attend anger counseling. We'll start with an easy subject, Black Star."

The rush of affection Tsubaki holds for her meister convinces her to relax and lean back in her chair. "Black Star is such a good friend," she says fondly. "Sometimes I feel like people don't know see how nice and considerate he is underneath all the bravado. He did the sweetest thing for me just the other day…"

* * *

"SURPRISE!"

Tsubaki is quite literally knocked off balance by a sudden chorus of voices, and she braces herself against the doorframe. All of the friends she has in the world-Black Star, Soul, Maka, Kid, Patty, Ox, Kim, Jackie, and many more-materialize from seemingly out of nowhere, and for a moment Tsubaki forgets why she had arrived at Gallows Manor in the first place.

She scans the entire ballroom and discovers that the ceiling is bedecked in streamers and covered in colorful balloons. A row of tables holding hor d'oeuvres, drinks, and a large cake are situated against the back wall. A banner reading "Happy 21st Birthday Tsubaki!" and speckled with messy, hand-painted stars hangs above the food. This is, she finally realizes, a birthday party. A surprise party. For her.

Everyone crowds around her with wide smiles and open arms, but it is Black Star who first sweeps her up in a tight embrace.

"Happy birthday Tsu!" he says, giving her torso a bone-crushing squeeze. "Yeah, so I definitely lied about that concert. Sorry. It's just that I've been planning this shindig for _weeks,_ and I didn't want you to get suspicious since it's your birthday and all. You look awesome, by the way."

She does; Tsubaki is wearing a lacey, lavender dress that makes her feel dainty, elegant. It's the nicest dress she owns, but the sudden shock of being surrounded by people has stripped her of the confidence it usually provides. To hide her embarrassment, the weapon starts fiddling with the ends of her long hair, which she had curled and left loose.

When Black Star lets her go, she takes a moment to catch her breath. "Thank you, Black Star." Her voice is somewhat hoarse. "I had no idea you had planned a party for me. I'm absolutely blown away!"

"Oh please." In the back of the crowd of party-goers, Liz Thompson shoots Tsubaki a knowing look. "You were totally onto us."

"No, really," Tsubaki insists. "You had me completely fooled."

After the first wave of friends at the door, Tsubaki notices with a jolt that she doesn't even know most of the guests. Random Shibusen students she's seen but never spoken to mill around the cake. A teacher or two she's never had class with converse on the dancefloor. It's more people than she would have liked, but-

Tsubaki's blood runs cold when she spots a bony, pug-faced woman with a perpetual frown picking at a piece of cake on the other side of the room.

"Black Star," she says, her voice dropping all sweetness. "What the hell is Jean doing here?"

Tsubaki isn't in the business or habit of disliking people, but oh how she loathes their neighbor Jean. All of her attempts at making nice with their prickly neighbor had ceased long ago, though she doesn't remember which straw broke the camel's back. Perhaps it was when Tsubaki sent around an envelope last Christmas in order to put together a present for the doorman and Jean refused to contribute. Maybe it was the passive-aggressive note Jean left on their apartment door complaining of the pungent smell of Tsubaki's cooking. Or maybe it was the half dozen times Jean hoarded the floor's washing machine and dryer for days on end, because _her_ needs always take precedent over everyone else no matter what. It is the sort of petulant self-centeredness that Tsubaki just can't stand.

In short, Jean is terrible and Tsubaki considers it a public service to let everyone know it.

She is too busy glaring daggers at Jean to notice how sheepish Black Star looks. "I, uh, I was sorta worried about having enough people. I didn't want your big birthday bash to look _small._ You're too important, and I was low on numbers! Plus I didn't think Mean Jean would actually _come._ I can kick her out, if you want."

"No, no, it's fine. I'll just avoid her." There's no need to cause a scene at her own party. Black Star didn't mean to offend when he invited the closest person she has to a nemesis; he is just trying to do his best to give her a good time. No harm in that. She swallows her irritation with no small difficulty and moves on.

The party gets off to a good start. They play a game Patty calls 'People Presents' where they split off into teams and create outfits using only gift wrapping paper. As the birthday girl, Tsubaki is the judge.

Maka and Black Star dress Soul in a crumpled looking toga made of christmas-themed paper. During the judging, he steps on the hem and rips a huge hole in the bottom, but he still manages to strike a post and flash a winning smile. Kid and Patty put their eyes for detail and immense creativity to use in order to create a bright, polka-dotted ballgown for Liz. It's amazing how the elder Thompson can make literal trash look fashionable and glamorous. While it takes a lot of effort to remain an impartial judge, Tsubaki breaks and selects Angela, who Kim and Jackie dress in a really cute rain outfit, as the winner. `

Still, she can't help but apologize to the losers afterwards. Well, a specific loser. "I'm sorry," Tsubaki says to Liz, who is still dressed in her paper gown. Tsubaki is holding the same wine glass during the entire contest, and she absentmindedly swirls the merlot contents as she waits for Liz to answer.

"Psssh, it's not your fault," Liz responds. "I should have been more radiant."

With a smile, Tsubaki says, "As if that's possible." The uncertain look Liz gives her suggests that she worded that wrong, and she stumbles to correct her mistake. "I mean, as if you can be more radiant than you already are! Hahaha, excuse me."

She walks in a random direction, internally kicking herself every step of the way. The combination of the sudden surprise and Jean's awful presence has stunted Tsubaki's social skills, and she needs to get away away from Liz or _anyone_ as quickly as possible so she can get her bearings.

On her left, she approaches Soul, who is using his lanky arms and height to keep a piece of cake away from his meister.

"I'm going to climb you like a tree!" Maka jokes as she leaps for the cake.

Soul laughs, but doesn't let her have it. "In public? At someone else's birthday party? Kinky." He's still dressed in his wrapping paper toga, and it's clearly impeding his ability to walk backwards.

Maka lurches forward. Soul steps back. He loses his footing, and time slows.

While Tsubaki knows what happens next is an accident, that doesn't soften the blow. In his effort to keep his cake away from Maka, Soul's elbow bumps into Tsubaki's wine glass and spills its entire contents down the front of her favorite, _best_ dress. She is still reeling when the plate slips out of Soul's hand too, sending his corner piece cake bouncing off Tsubaki's head and onto the floor with a loud _plop._

The shadow weapon is instantly mortified. There is icing in her hair, a dark stain blooming on her left boob, and _Jean_ is watching on the other side of the room and stifling a laugh. Tsubaki remains shocked as she lightly touches the pieces of cake smeared on her fringe.

"Shit," Soul says. "Oh shit, oh god, I'm so sorry Tsubaki! I didn't see-I didn't mean-"

"Soul, how could you?" Maka asks. "This is her birthday party for Death's sake! Her beautiful dress is ruined."

"Geez, I literally just said I'm sorry! And it wouldn't have happened if you weren't jumping all over me."

The commotion Soul and Maka are causing draws the eyes of everyone in the room. The entire party, all these people she doesn't really know, stare at Tsubaki, at what used to be her nicest dress, and her humiliation increases tenfold. A smoldering fire deep within her soul calls for her friends to just _shut up,_ but she says nothing. She just stands there, a deer caught in the headlights.

Black Star is at her side with napkins, and Kid's got a tidepen. Though neither are much help, Tsubaki reassures herself that the dress can be saved. If she has learned one thing while living with Black Star, it's how to get stains out of almost every fabric. Still, the dress is so much nicer than her usual uniform, it might take some dedication to finally get it clean.

The party fizzles out not long after the fiasco with her dress. Liz offers to lend Tsubaki some clothes to wear home, but she can't bring herself to look the blonde in the eye.

* * *

Recounting that night is incredibly exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Tsubaki is immune to secondhand embarrassment caused by her meister, but when it revolves around herself? She wants to disappear.

Marie taps her pen on the desk. "Oh Tsu, that's a terrible thing to go through at your own birthday party. While I can see how this might have impacted your state of mind, it happened the day _before_ the accident."

"Oh yes!" Tsubaki says with a firm nod. "If not for what happened at the party, I never would have been so, so _provoked_ the day after."

* * *

It takes several handwashes and a couple gentle cycles to get the dark plum stain out of her beloved dress. Tsubaki inspects the damp garment with satisfaction before throwing it in the communal dryer. As she walks down the hall to her apartment, she hums to herself. Her mind was so hectic last night, but everything is calm now. Serene. And in exactly one hour, her dress will be finished drying, and all the sins of the night before will be officially cleansed.

She didn't get much sleep at all after her birthday party-the entire night was spent tossing and turning to chase away the memory of that cake and wine-so Tsubaki has been looking forward this evening. Black Star left the apartment to play video games at Soul's, leaving Tsubaki the entire place to herself to relax and decompress. She already has her extended beauty regimen planned out, which includes a long, hot bath while listening to a CD of ocean waves slapping against the beach.

The finishing touch of Tsubaki's perfect evening is her waterproof vibrator. She is aching to have some deeply personal time with it, because if anything improves her mood, it is temporarily satisfying her galloping libido.

Tsubaki undresses, puts on a soft bathrobe, and piles her long hair on top of her head in a haphazard bun. It's unfortunately very oily even after washing out the cake, and she looks forward to giving it a deep cleanse after laying in the bath and stimulating herself until her legs feel like jelly.

But when she runs the bath, the water comes out ice cold. By the time the tub is halfway full, it becomes clear that a neighbor had already used up all the hot water. Maybe Jean, she thinks bitterly. Determined, Tsubaki disrobes and attempts to lower herself into the bath anyway, but her skin screams when it makes contact with the frigid water. It is with deep reluctance that she drains the water and puts her bath bomb, soaps, and scrubs back underneath the bathroom sink.

So the bath is out and washing her hair is postponed. Tsubaki still has the place to herself and a fully charged vibrator. She can use that anywhere, and Death knows how desperately she needs to unwind.

Her robe is untied and half open when she slides back the bathroom's screen door. That's when she sees Black Star, Soul, and Patty in her living room.

A sharp yelp is all she gets out before slamming the door shut again and gathering the fabric of her robe in front of her breasts. " _Black Star_!" Tsubaki calls from the other side of the screen through her teeth. "You said you would be _out!"_

Tsubaki is pretty certain both Soul and Patty saw everything, not just her entire naked self, but also the dark crescent moons on under her eyes and greasy hair. The suffocating embarrassment makes her want to punch a hole straight through the screen.

"I was gonna! But Maka is still mad at Soul, and it was too awkward to stay at their place like we planned. Plus I don't think they saw anything, right guys?"

"Nope!" Patty chirps.

"Nuh uh," Soul agrees.

Tsubaki bites her lip and pulls the sash on her robe tight. "A little warning might have been nice!" When she emerges from the bathroom, she takes care not to look at her friends. She is afraid that she'll see the truth of whether or not they saw her naked in their eyes.

Black Star and Patty are plugging in a video game console into their television, and Soul is setting up a pair of surround-sound speakers. They must have grabbed everything video game-related from Maka and Soul's apartment and brought it here, all to escape Maka's ire. How nice it must be to be given space like that without even having to ask.

"Geez, I'm sorry Tsu," Black Star says as he sits down on the floor mat. "Can you get me a lemonade?"

"Me too!"

"Same."

Tsubaki grits her teeth and heads into the kitchen.

She doesn't mind getting a drink for Black Star. They're partners after all, and they share most of the domestic chores. It's no trouble. Soul and Patty though? They should know better than to order her around like a servant-especially after they barged into _her_ relaxing night in.

There is some leftover lemonade in the fridge, but Tsubaki opts to make a fresh batch. Squeezing the life out of something sour is really appealing. By the time she is finished, her hands are covered in pulp and she can taste bitter drops of lemon juice on her lips.

When she delivers the lemonade, all three of them at least have the decency to spare her a 'thank you.' They are now playing Grand Theft Auto on a split screen, which fills the apartment with the horrible sounds of crashing cars and screaming pedestrians. They don't even take a sip from their lemonades before Tsubaki retreats to her and Black Star's shared bedroom. Once inside, she sighs and gets dressed in the comfiest sweatpants and t-shirt she owns.

Masturbation is hard enough when it's just Black Star in the other room. The knowledge that Patty and Soul are just behind the thin wall makes it all but impossible. Whatever sliver of arousal Tsubaki might have grabbed hold of is dashed away by the sounds of tires skidding on pavement and blaring car horns. The occasional 'Screw you!' from Soul and 'Eat rubber, fucker!' from Patty doesn't help either.

Tsubaki flops onto her bedroll and muffles a little scream with her pillow. She feels like she has been shoved into a shaken soda bottle, and the cap is straining to contain the pressure.

Pacing doesn't take the edge off. Neither does an impromptu yoga pose or two. Tsubaki considers calling someone-maybe Liz? Would that be ok?-when the alarm she set on her phone begins to chime.

Tsubaki immediately leaps to her feet. Her dress is dry! It's ready! She hurries through the living room and down the hallway, eager to inspect her handiwork.

When she arrives at the dingy laundry room, she is surprised to see that the dryer is still lurching back and forth, a certain sign that it's still in the middle of drying a particularly large load. In fact, the timer shows that is has another 50 minutes left in the cycle.

That can't be right. She put her dress in an hour ago.

And then, she sees it. Her dress, still sopping wet, discarded on the concrete floor and into a stray puddle of bleach. Tsubaki's stomach drops at the sight.

 _No._

Her entire being is choking with horror. She picks up the drenched garment, the beautiful thing she had spent all day trying to save, and tears prick the inner corners of her eyes when she notices the large, discordant splotches of white burned into the lavender fabric. Her hands clench, and antiseptic-smelling liquid squeezes out of the dress and splatters onto the floor.

This is awful. This is unfair. Someone has to pay.

She stops the dryer's cycle and rips all of the wet clothing out of the machine and throws them on the floor in a soaked pile. Some of it gets into the bleach, some doesn't. Tsubaki doesn't care. Growling like a feral animal, Tsubaki stomps on all of the clothing with her barefeet, delighting in the frigid rush of liquid over her toes and the loud squelching sounds. Tsubaki's patience is too frayed for guilt. Whoever had the audacity to put their mitts on her gown and discard it on the floor like trash deserves no less.

With her poor, ruined dress cradled in her arms like a child, Tsubaki returns to the apartment, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her.

Back at home, the others are still glued to their controllers and the television.

"Hey, look," she says mournfully, though none of them hear her over the sound system Soul oh so helpfully installed. "Look! Someone took my dress out early and dumped it in bleach! I saved up for this for _so long._ And now it's ruined forever. But none of you care. Nobody cares but me." A tear drips down her chin. "This birthday has been _awful,_ you guys."

She slinks away from the three gamers and moves to the window. When she opens it, Tsubaki vaguely hears Black Star protest 'Hey Tsu! I already got a fire going, it's cold out!' But she is beyond caring. It's impossible for her to breath in there anymore, and the cool air just feels so nice.

When she hears a frenzied knock at the door, Tsubaki drops the dress on the floor and moves to answer it.

It's Jean. That bitch.

"I know what you did," Jean says, petulantly. She has a laundry basket tucked under her arm, and it's full to the brim with wet clothing. "You took my clothes out of the dryer and threw them on the floor! Your footprints led straight here, I basically saw you do it."

Tsubaki sets her jaw. The music of the stupid game is pounding at the back of her head, and her self-restraint is ebbing away with astonishing speed.

"You took out my clothes first," she responds coldly. The spilled wine. The dropped cake. The cold bathwater, the crowded apartment. All those faces staring at her with pity and shock at the party. The brief, unintentional flashing in her own home. It's all piling on her shoulders now, weighing her down, and the sounds of that blasted video game condense into a single roar.

"Because you were hogging the dryer for a single item! I have a strict schedule. I needed to wash my work uniforms, my school clothes, my towels-"

With a blink, she snaps.

"I. DON'T. CARE!" The music blips off and the others stare in horror, but Tsubaki doesn't lower her volume. "I don't give a rat's ass about your schedule! I had things I wanted to do today, too! I wanted to take a hot bath! I wanted to get off to the sound of the ocean! I wanted my perfect dress back! You want dry laundry, _Jeeeeeeeeannn_? I'll give you dry laundry!"

Without looking away from Jean's beady, black eyes, Tsubaki rips the laundry basket straight out of her hands. As Jean's mouth falls open in shock, the shadow weapon dashes into the other room, where she knows the apartment furnace to be. It's a small, old iron thing, and though a small voice in her mind knows messing with it is unsafe, it's drowned out by her screaming rage.

Tsubaki opens the furnace door and begins to toss socks into the flames. "Ohhh, nice and hot!"

"Stop it!" Jean shrieks.

"What, not quick enough for you? I know!"

She carries the laundry basket back into the living room and passes her meister along the way. The Earth must be spinning in the opposite direction, because in a strange role reversal it is Tsubaki wreaking havoc and destruction and Black Star picking up after her, mumbling apologies as he thrusts his hand straight into the fire to retrieve singed socks.

The window is still gloriously open. "How about we air dry them?" Tsubaki says. "That'll dry them out real quick!" She lifts the basket and dumps its contents wholesale out the window.

Dropping the now-empty basket to the ground, Tsubaki turns to a shocked Jean with triumph. "There! Are you happy now?" Black Star is hanging in the doorway, stunned, and both Soul and Patty are frozen with terror. "Is everyone here happy now? Does anybody else need me to do their laundry? Make them dinner? Huh?" No one speaks or moves. "Soul? Patty? Black Star? Jean?"

The others remain frozen, and Tsubaki sighs happily. "Oh good," she says, relieved. "Finally. Now if you'll excuse me, I-"

Raucous beeping and the shrill sound of tires skidding on pavement shatters the silence. At first Tsubaki assumes it is simply Grand Theft Auto, but she can see that the game is still paused. It hasn't made a peep ever since just after Jean knocked on their door. A loud crash of metal and broken glass confirms her worst fears, and her anger finally recedes long enough for her to feel nothing but horror.

* * *

By the time Tsubaki is finished speaking, she is resting her cheek on Marie's desk, too exhausted to even hold up her head.

She didn't realize that the wet clothes would hit the cars below her apartment window. It never occurred to her that they might land on someone's windshield and send the driver careening into a traffic light-and then another, and then another, and then a another. It was an accident.

Maybe if even _one thing_ had gone right that weekend, Tsubaki wouldn't have acted so impulsively.

Her teacher had stopped scribbling a while ago. "That's a lot to deal with over the course of 24 hours," Marie finally says. Tsubaki picks up her head to look Marie in the eye. "Even for you, and you're one of the most well adjusted members of Spartoi."

The younger weapon looks down at her hands and shrugs. "I'm not quite sure if that's true anymore."

"Tsubaki, anger isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a natural response to life's stressors, and there's nothing wrong with expressing it every once in awhile. Of course, we do want to avoid causing more four-car pileups, so our next session should focus on healthy ways to relieve that pressure."

This sounds like an opportunity to end the session for the day, so Tsubaki starts to put her Spartoi jacket back on and gather her purse.

"Actually, I have one more question." Marie is frowning at her notes, and her lone eye looks up at her student. "A lot of your stress last weekend was connected to your dress."

Tsubaki nods. "It was my best dress."

"So you've said many times. But why were you wearing it?"

She visibly balks. "It was my birthday," Tsubaki states with a clipped tone. "Black Star threw me a party. It was a momentous occasion. Of course I chose to wear my favorite, nicest dress."

"But it was a surprise party. If you didn't know about it ahead of time, what spurred you to wear something so precious? What exactly were you expecting when you went to Gallows Manor?"

"It was a surprise," Tsubaki says, the truth slowly dawning on her. "I truly had no idea about the party. But I really wore the dress because...because…"

* * *

When she hangs up the phone, Tsubaki brings her hand to her chest to calm her fluttering heart. _Finally._

Her 21st birthday is a solitary one. Black Star bought tickets for a concert with a good half-dozen of their other friends, but by the time Tsubaki told him she wanted to go too-what did it matter that she had never heard of this band before?-it was sold out. The timing is a pity, but any resentment Tsubaki feels flies away the moment Liz invites her over. To hang out. _Alone._

All the looks, the casual touching, the flirting, they've panned out. Tsubaki thought all this time she was just screaming into the void, sending signals towards someone who would never notice their passing, let alone reciprocate. But, miracle of all miracles, Liz called her. Invited her over. Implied that something exciting might happen once she arrived. And really, that could only mean one thing.

This is everything Tsubaki wanted for her birthday, and she knows just what to wear.

It had cost three months wages, bills not included. Tsubaki is told that is usually the amount men are willing to spend on engagement rings. Was it an indulgence? Yes. But she didn't regret it for a single second. Buying it was like proposing to herself. Wearing it is also like a proposal, though the success of that remains to be seen. Rather than restraining her long hair in a ponytail, Tsubaki takes the time to curl it. By the time it's done, her inky hair is almost as bouncy as she feels.

When the shadow weapon arrives, Liz answers the door after the first knock. Her blues eyes widen as she drinks Tsubaki in. "You look _amazing!_ That dress is phenomenal on you."

Her face is a deep scarlet, but she beams. "I've brought the recipe," Tsubaki says, holding up the piece of paper clutched in her hand.

"Huh? Oh right, the fudge! Yummmm."

Tsubaki's laughs a little out of nervousness. "Well, that's why I'm here, isn't it? To teach you how to make it." Stepping inside Gallows Manor, she notices how dark the place is. There isn't a single light on in the house, and that just sends her imagination into overdrive. She hazards a suggestive wink and feels validated when a light blush flares on Liz's cheeks.

Liz gives her a once over and places her hand on her hip. "You're not buying it," she states.

Tsubaki shakes her head. "When someone suddenly invites you over to make fudge on a Saturday night, it's doesn't take a lot of figuring out."

The blonde chuckles. "Flimsy excuse, right?" She holds out her hand, and Tsubaki takes it without hesitation. "Can you at least promise you'll look surprised?"

These are the sort of games Tsubaki might have expected on a third or fourth date, but she's not complaining. "I'm a good actor," she promises, suppressing a shiver. This is so surreal.

It is with bated breath that Tsubaki follows Liz through the shadows. Is she actually being led to the kitchen? Probably not. They reach the large doors that lead to the mansion's grand ballroom, which Liz slowly opens and gestures for Tsubaki to enter.

Walking into the empty, darkened ballroom is like stepping into the void. "I need to get something," Liz murmurs in Tsubaki's ear. "Can you wait here for a second?"

Her heart thunders as she answers Liz with a nod. Practical questions like 'What is Liz getting?' and 'How can she see in the midst of this utter blackness?' don't occur to her. Tsubaki just waits, and waits, and waits...

The room floods with light so fast that Tsubaki is temporarily blind.

"SURPRISE!"

She immediately staggers backwards and clutches the doorframe to maintain her balance. In an instant Tsubaki is surrounded by people, all talking to her at once and staring with expectant faces. A frantic glance around the room leaves her confused. Presents? Cake? A banner? Shaking like a leaf, it's all Tsubaki can do to lean into her meister's embrace.

Though she can hear Black Star's explanation about the fake concert, it's displaced and distorted, like trying to make out a sentence while holding your breath underwater. She just can't fathom the sudden appearance of all these people.

"Thank you, Black Star," she chokes out. "I had no idea you had planned a party for me. I'm absolutely blown away!"

"Oh please." She seeks out Liz's voice without hesitation and puzzles over her smirk. "You were totally onto us."

"No really," Tsubaki says with a heart-breaking gravity that no one, not even Liz, understands or recognizes. "You had me _completely_ fooled."

* * *

Tsubaki feels her embarrassment anew; she has just admitted that she has a crush on a friend. To a _teacher._ Not even Black Star knows about this.

But this is Marie Mjolnir, and she's quite gentle when she finally responds.

"Okay, as one formerly chronically single woman to another, I think the first step towards managing your anger is to actually talk to Liz," Marie says. "Bottling up the crushing disappointment you felt when you realized you weren't actually spending your birthday with her set this whole thing in motion. And unless you get a restraining order on this Jean character, I think Liz may be your only way to work through this tough bundle of emotions."

"I can't," Tsubaki says immediately. "I won't. I won't tell Liz what really happened. Not after all that."

"I'm not suggesting you make a grand confession. Just that you talk to her. She's your friend after all. I'm sure she'll be happy to talk through some of the things stressing you out. And who knows? Maybe things will work out better than you think!"

Marie is most definitely one of those teachers who secretly ships her own students, Tsubaki realizes, so this isn't really that encouraging. Just a teacher trying to win a bet. She thanks Marie for her time and leaves with heavy feet.

What should she do now? Go home? Seek Liz? Skip town?

Tsubaki gives the latter option some serious thought, but then she sees Liz waiting for her outside the building. Did Marie know? Liz catches her eye and waves before sauntering over to her.

"Ok, so here's the deal," Liz says. "Black Star is throwing you _another_ surprise party, this time at your place, to say sorry. It's supposed to be some sort of homemade spa where he feeds grapes directly into your mouth while Soul rubs your feet. Patty and Maka are trying to make your fudge recipe right now, and Kid's on cleanup duty. So here I am! Your perpetual party escort."

It's like the night of her birthday again, only this time Tsubaki knows ahead of time that having her feet touched is in the cards. She's not exactly thrilled, but it's nice to hear that her friends are going out of their way to make her feel welcome, at home.

Liz offers Tsubaki her arm, and they both start the long journey down the Shibusen steps.

They are about halfway down when she plucks the courage to speak. "Hey, Liz?" Tsubaki asks. "To be honest, I was a little disappointed we didn't get to hang out Saturday like I originally thought. I was really looking forward to it."

"Really?" Liz sounds surprised, but touched. "We hardly hang out on our own. I bet it would be really fun."

"Same! I'd definitely prefer that to surviving another one of Black Star's surprise parties," she admits.

Liz stops suddenly on a step just below Tsubaki. "You know what?" she says, looking up. "Let's ditch."

"Huh?"

"You just said that you don't really want to go to this party. So don't. We'll do something instead, just you and me."

Tsubaki can't help but sputter. "But-Black Star-our friends are going through all this trouble, and I'm sure they'd want-"

"Tsu, what do _you_ want?"

The question is so simple, yet Tsubaki feels like she's just grown wings. She stares intensely at Liz, wondering if the blonde could possibly _know_ how significant this feels. Like a beginning. "I want…" Her brain runs a mile a minute before settling on her answer. "Ice cream!"

This makes Liz throw her head back and laugh. "Ice cream it is!" Tsubaki reaches back out for Liz, but this time she takes her hand. Walking into the sunset feels so much better and _genuine_ than being led around in the dark.

"What ice cream flavors do you like, Tsubaki?"

"Chocolate peanut butter."

"Solid. I was a little afraid you'd answer vanilla or something dumb, like butter pecan."

"There's is nothing vanilla about me. Wait, no...I mean I don't like vanilla anything."

"You're one giant Freudian slip waiting to happen. What psychology stuff did you and Marie even talk about?"

"A few things…"


End file.
